Fairies United
by PaulineBliss
Summary: Natsu and Lucy, Gajeel and Levy, Gray and Juvia... Romance all over the place when a tragic destiny awaits the girls. A fierce battle will take place, but luckily, the fairies get help from above. NaLu, GaLe, Gruvia. Possible smut and lemons. Go Fairy Tail!
1. Chapter 1

**What makes you special [Nalu, Gale, Gruvia]**

Lucy stood in the shower, crying. Natsu had just brought her to the room, comforting her. She said she wanted to be alone, so he ran off to watch the ongoing fights.

"How did I become so weak? I... I thought I was more powerful because of the Second Origin. But... I still am useless... Why?"

Lucy cried in the shower while the water ran down her body. She thought of several things, like her father, the guild, Makarov...

"Mina... Gomen... I... I failed you..."

"Natsu! The fight is about to start you know!"

"Yeah, yeah I heard yah."

Natsu stood there a little uneasy with his hand in his pockets, facing Erza.

"What's the matter?" the scarlet haired mage asked.

"I just hope Lucy is ok."

"Let her be for now." said Erza.

"Yes, if she is a man, she will be just fine in no time."

"She's a girl, you know..."

"Anyway," Erza said, "you can go see her later, Natsu. It's not a good idea to be around her now."

"Guess you're right." he sighed.

He walked closer to see the fight, but he wasn't exactly excited to be here. Ever since Lucy had been hurt by Flare, there had been an enormous fire boiling inside of him. He knew that Lucy's opponent hadn't done anything to stop her Urano Metoria. She must have received help from someone in her team. Natsu felt his rage building up, but he told himself not to burst. He would show them that there was no messing with Fairy Tail, and especially, Lucy. She was his nakama and no one would even hurt a hair on her head without getting beaten up by him.

The fight came to an end, although Natsu hadn't paid any attention, for his thoughts where somewhere else. It was strange though... He had never felt THIS angry.

"Natsu! We're going back to the inn, you coming?"

He snapped out of his daydreaming. He walked along with his teammates, looking at his feet the entire way. Everyone of the guild had assembled in a nearby pub. They all drank and partied, celebrating the first day of the contest to be over. Master gave a speech so that everyone gathered their courage to face the upcoming days. Natsu looked around, but he couldn't find Lucy. Gray was silent, but at least he was here. Juvia kept comforting him, and he kind of liked it.

"Gray, where's Lucy?"

"She's still in the inn. She said she was coming later."

"I see."

Natsu sat down next to him and began sipping some beer from his glass.

"There's no need to be depressed, jeesh..."

"Shut up, Gajeel."

The iron dragonslayer patted his head while laughing.

"Gajeel! Stop it!"

A small blue haired mage pulled his arm but failed miserably in getting Gajeel out of there.

"Oi, Lucy will be just fine. And besides, she doesn't have to be all whiny about it. She lost, so what? We will turn things around."

"I don't like you calling her whiny."

Natsu was terribly cold, he didn't even bother looking to Gajeel while he was talking.

"At least look at me when I'm talking!" the buffed dragonslayer spouted.

"Leave me the hell ALONE!"

Natsu smashed his glass on Gajeels head. The pub went silent while they watched Natsu walk away. No one knew what it was what made him act like this. Natsu didn't know himself. What was this feeling of unease? What was it that let him be so angry when it involved her? Images popped in his head, images of Lucy, smiling. She looked at him with her deep, chocolate eyes. Her hair waving around her head, her cheeks a little rosy while she made a gesture with her thumb, showing her Fairy Tail mark. Natsu's hearth began to pound a little harder. Her smile was the cutest when she looked at him like that. To see that smile turn into a sad expression was the worst. He kept on walking towards the inn while he mumbled things like; 'I'm gonna show them', 'make them pay'.

_Meanwhile at the inn. _

Lucy dried her hair, causing her tears to flow in different directions on her cheeks. She tasted one when it slid between her lips and she wiped another away. She tried to stop, but she couldn't. She had a feeling similar to when the guild was attacked because of her father. It was all because of her that everyone suffered. And now, because of her, the team was in last place. She remembered collapsing as she felt her magic disappear. The only thing she could do back then was cry, just like she was doing now. Why was she so weak?

A sudden knock on the door caught her attention. She opened the door only to see a pink haired guy standing in front of her.

"Hey, I figured I'd check on you once more. Are you all right?"

Lucy smiled a little.

"Yeah... I'm..."

She felt a little surprised when she felt his hand on her cheek, caressing the tears away with his thumb.

"You've been crying long enough."

He pushed her a little bit backwards. He closed the door and pulled her in front of the window. He let her face the starry sky while he held his arms around her waist, his head next to hers.

"You see those stars? I don't know much about them, but the only thing I need to know, is that they will return every night, so that I can feel at home. It doesn't matter where I am, I just want to see those stars, returning every night to give me a sense of peace."

"They're beautiful."

"They are. Lucy," she looked at him sideways, "don't feel uneasy, because wherever you are, the sky will remain the same. If you ever feel alone, look up at the stars and know, that I'll be looking at them as well."

She smiled and looked back at the sky, filled with little lights.

"You always know how to sheer me up, don't you?"

He grinned and took her hand.

"Let's join the others, shall we?"

"Okay." she smiled.

_At the pub._

"Gajeel! Why are you so mean!"

He munched some iron stuff in his mouth while he ignored the little blue haired mage.

"I just said your friends need to start training soon, or they won't be able to complete any jobs. Besides, they will only put you in danger."

By that, her cheeks became rosy, but her expression remained the same.

"Hey! Don't offend my friends! They are not as cold as you are, they actually CARE about me!"

"If they'd really care about you, they would put more effort in strengthening their stamina and stuff. I'd knock them out in less than a second."

"Really, you're such a prick!"

She stood up and left the table. Gajeel sighed and followed her. He didn't mean to make her upset, he just wanted to assure himself that there was someone strong enough to look after her. Wait. Why did he care so much? He was awfully protective when it involved the shrimp. It even scared him a little.

"Come on, now. I didn't want to sound mean. I'm just telling the truth."

He kept following her, pardoning himself countless times. She didn't react and soon, he had enough of it.

"Okay that's it, you're coming with me."

Gajeel grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the pub. Levy tried to loosen his grip, but the man was just too strong for her. He suddenly took her in his arms bridal style, which made Levy blush as hell.

"Hold on to me, shrimp."

She held on to his vest when he jumped on a roof. He put her down and motioned her to sit down next to him.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry."

Levy didn't know what she heard. Gajeel said he's sorry. GAJEEL? HE said he was SORRY? How could that even be possible? She avoided him by looking in the other direction. He, however, noticed this and he surprised her. He put hand on her head and rubbed her hair.

"Aw, don't be mad at me!"

"Hey! Stop that!"

She took his arm in her two tiny hands and tried to pull it away.

"No." he grinned.

He began to tickle her everywhere until she cried out to him.

"Hahahaha... Gajeel!... Hahahahaa!... Gajeel... STOP!... hahaha!"

Eventually, he stopped. He looked her in the eyes while leaning over her. She laid on her back, protecting her body with her arms from his tickle attacks. Her face was flushed red and her hair was messy. Gajeel thought she was beautiful like this. Her cheeks a little rosy, her hair wild and a happy expression on her face. He couldn't help but gaze in her big eyes. Levy didn't move at all. She liked him looking at her. There was something in his eyes at that moment. He looked at her with some kind of lovable expression. They felt a breeze passing by and Levy began to shake a little.

"You cold?" Gajeel asked.

"A... a little."

"Let's go back then."

He pulled her up and held on to her waist. She grabbed his shoulders as he jumped of the building. The blush on her face didn't disappear and Gajeel kept having this odd feeling. He wanted to know what it was, he had to.


	2. Chapter 2

2. I want the time to stop

Natsu dragged Lucy to the pub and everyone welcomed her happily. There were people dancing and singing, drinking their hearts out. They all said very reassuring things to Lucy, which made her feel more comfortable. Some musicians were going all out on their instruments while the guild was dancing to the rhythm.

"Hey, that looks like fun! Let's go Lucy!"

Lucy felt him pulling her out of the chair and dragging her to the dance floor.

"You know how to dance?" she asked him.

"Does that really matter?"

He grinned and began to dance in front of her. He took her right hand and let her spin under his arm. She gladly followed his lead and soon, the song ended. She bowed to him gracefully while laughing, and so did he. The music went slow and the lights were dimmed. Natsu stopped Lucy from walking away and reached out to her.

"My lady, one more dance?"

He held his hand out to her and she accepted while smiling. He guided her through the already dancing couples and found a spot. He put one hand on her right hip and held her hand in the other. She embraced his neck and they began to shuffle to the tune. Their movements were slow and they both blushed.

"I didn't know you could dance this good."

"Well, you try to teach me, but then I asked Mira to educate me some more."

"It paid off." she smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that."

Without realizing what she was doing, she let her head rest on his chest. He could smell the vanilla and strawberries as her hair tickled a little bit on his chin. He embraced her a little tighter and smiled. This was just too perfect. He didn't want this to end, he wanted the time to stop. They shuffled until, sadly, the music came to an end. They bowed once again and left the crowd. Lucy caught the attention of a certain man staring at her. She couldn't really recognize him because of the darkness. But she was certain he was been looking at her for quite a while now.

"Hey, Luce! Waiting for tomorrow to come?"

The dragon slayer waved at her and she followed, not looking back any longer. The mysterious figure disappeared. Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Erza left the pub, with Juvia following Gray, of course.

"Gray-samaaaaa! Juvia wants to come with youuu!"

"You can't, you have to go to your own hotel. We'll see each other tomorrow."

Juvia began dreaming about something involving Gray and candlelight. Gray sighed and caught up with the rest.

"She lllllikes you."

"Shut up, neko!"

Happy laughed in his paws as he flew around, trying to evade Gray's attacks.

"Hey, droopy eyes! You trying to hurt Happy!?"

"What's wrong squinty eyes!? Got a bad mood or something?!"

"You wanna go?!"

"Bring it on!"

Erza and Lucy kept walking, not bothering about the two. Lucy looked around and felt a pleasant breeze on her skin. Suddenly, a more fierce wind blew the ribbon out of her hair. She ran after it and ended up in an alleyway. She picked it up and put it back in her hair. She made a sideward ponytail and pulled a few times to make sure it was tight enough. She felt a feeling take over. She wasn't alone. She heard footsteps behind her, the pace kept speeding up. Without thinking or looking back she began to walk. She left the alleyway and tried to find her friends. A hand tried to grab her arm, but Lucy shook it off instantly and turned around with Leo's key in hand. But when she turned around... there was no one.

"Did I just imagine all this?"


	3. Chapter 3

**3. It Wasn't A Dream**

"Where were you?"

"Oh, my ribbon was blown away, so I went to get it back." Lucy said with a trembling voice.

"You look kinda pale, did something happen?" the dragon slayer asked.

Lucy wasn't sure about that, did something happen? Didn't she dream all of that?

"No, I'm fine."

"Well then, let's get going! We've got a big day ahead of us! And I'm gonna turn the scores around!"

"Aye, sir!" the blue neko added.

His enthusiasm helped her to relax a little bit. Oh, was he just admirable when he acted so full of fire. Lucy completely forgot about what happened before, although her problems were only starting to unfold.

In front of the guild's inn.

"I didn't ask you to dance with me, I didn't ask anybody to. Drop it already."

"Yeah, whatever. You couldn't stop blinking at me, so I had to take the initiative. It's not like I enjoyed it."

"You said that like twenty times, I get it already. "

"I don't like dancing, it's for fags."

"Gajeel! Enough!"

"Take it easy shrimp."

"Why did you insist to walk me home? I can handle myself."

"You forgot the thing I said on the island?"

Levy thought about that for a second. She remembered something. She saw Gajeel standing in for her and saying that she was small and hard to find. She first hated this comment and thought about the asshole he could be. But then he said something that she had always cherished. How could she forget? He told her not to leave his side.

"Yeah... I remember." Levy blushed.

"Well, then. Don't complain."

"Gomen."

He grinned and patted her head. He knew she didn't like it, but knowing Gajeel, he didn't give a damn. He thought she looked cute when she was ticked off. It made her look more like a badass.

Suddenly, Gajeel stopped Levy from moving by putting his arm in front of her.

"What's wrong?"

Gajeel sniffed around, tried to pick up a scent or a sound. But there wasn't any.

"Nothing."

_'I know someone's following us for quite a while now. The bastard won't come out.'_

"Let's pick up the pace. You gotta go to bed, little one."

"I'm not little! You're just big."

"Awh, Levy a little bit mad?" he asked while, again, patting her head.

"I told you I hate it when you make my hair messy!"

"And I told YOU I like it when you act all feisty."

She grumbled something that he couldn't understand. She grabbed her handbag and hit him a few times. He laughed and dodged most of her attacks. He pinned her hands to the wall behind her and knocked her handbag away from her.

"Now, that wasn't nice."

"Let me go because you deserve another thousand wallops!"

"Make me."

Levy felt something in her stomach. Butterflies?

"Alright, you asked for it."

Gajeel was prepared for any of her attacks or attempts to break loose. Levy acted without thinking and locked her lips on his. In an instant, Gajeel's stunned feeling made him loosen his grip. Levy dived under his arm and picked up her handbag.

"Iron!"

She made a gesture with her fingers in her bag. It became heavy as hell, exactly what she was hoping for. She swung her bag against Gajeel's face, still red as a tomato. He fell on the ground, not giving a damn about the weight she smashed in his face.

"Better next time, buddy."

She winked and began to run to the girl's hotel. Gajeel laid there for a while, thinking about what just had happened.

"It wasn't a dream."


	4. Chapter 4

4. The Celestial Dragon Spirit

Lucy woke up, comfortable under the sheets and wiping the sleep out of her eyes. It was a beautiful sunny day, so she decided to spend the time she had in the city. She needed a new pair of boots, because the previous ones were burned. She got dressed and left immediately while the others were still sleeping. She strolled in the streets and looked in every shop. She hummed and let the sunrays warm her face while dragging a bag full of groceries. Man, how she loved this morning.

"She's here."

"Yes, I can see that."

"Should I go for it?"

"No, wait a little longer. We have to be certain about this."

"I don't like waiting."

"I know you don't, but trust me. It's gonna be worth it."

"Fine."

Lucy noticed a strange force around her. She looked around, but there was nothing suspicious.

"Hmm. I think I'm way too stressed."

She continued her little walk and reached a giant garden full of flowers. A pond caught her attention and she sat down on a bench. She saw several ducks swimming and eating lumps of bread, tossed to them by a couple of old people. She enjoyed the breeze caressing her hair and the smell of lavender that dominated the air.

"I wish Natsu was here..."

Wait... wut? Why did that just cross her mind like that? Well, there's nothing wrong with enjoying his company, is there? Hmm... better go back to the inn before they start worrying about me. Lucy took her bags but something fell out. It rolled off the hill and landed in the pond.

"Oh, great."

She kneeled in front of the water and tried to take the thingy out of the water. It was too far away, she took her shoes off and stepped into the ice cold water. A chill went down her spine as she reached out for the object. She noticed it had the shape of a key, but it wasn't a key similar to the ones she had. It looked like it was made of crystal with a few silver colored diamonds on it. The key had a weird symbol on it, somewhat like tribal while the tip had the shape of a dragons head. When she grabbed the key, a bundle of golden light with blue stars started swirling around her. She got dragged under water by an inhuman force that she could not register. The pond was at least a few kilometers deep, although it hadn't seemed like it was.

"Lucy..."

A pleasant voice attracted her attention. It was the voice of a man. A huge bubble caught her and sunk to the bottom. Lucy didn't know what was going on, but she was too curious to try to get away.

"Who's there?"

With this, the sand began to spread and revealed a crystal door. She saw a keyhole in the middle and put the key she just found inside of it. When she turned it, a beam of light shone bright as hell and almost made her blind. With a disturbed vision, she was still able to see the enormous form that rose from the door. It was a... DRAGON? Amazed by its shape and beauty, Lucy could feel her voice disappearing and her heart racing. The dragon had a crystallized body and a prism of light effects shone from its scales. His eyes were blue and his wings and tail gracefully completed his magnificence.

"You finally managed to find me."

"What do you mean?"

The dragon laid down in the sand with its tail curled around his body and his wings closed.

"I'm Celes, the celestial dragon spirit. I have chosen you to be my owner."

Lucy's mouth opened wide and if it wasn't for her jawbones, her chin would have been lying on the ground by now.

"There are a few rules, however."

"Rules?"

"You'll see when we complete the contract."

"R... Right."

"First of all, you can only summon me once a month, secondly, you can't tell anybody you can summon me or how you met me."

"Does that really matter?"

"It is crucial. This door is a path to the spirit world, but it is a part that can only be entered by dragons, like me."

Lucy nodded and kept on listening.

"Third, you may only use me when you feel that you need me."

"So... when I feel it..."

"I know it's not much to go on, but I know you will be able to feel it when the time comes. Furthermore, the key that you hold now, must be hidden. Don't keep it with your other keys, because people will start to ask questions. The other spirits know of my existence, but they have never once met me before and I want to keep it that way."

"Understood."

The dragon let out a roar which caused Lucy to be thrown out of the water. She landed on something soft and warm. She looked behind her and she saw Natsu's face covered with eggs and tomato sauce. She couldn't help but laugh her heart out.

"Where were you, and what were you doing under water?"

"Oh... I... umm..."

"Look at you, you're soaked."

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"I know it has only one sleeve, but it's better than nothing, right?"

He showed her his toothy grin and made her blush.

"Come on, let's get going."

Lucy wanted to pick up the bags but Natsu pulled them out of her hands.

"I'll carry them."

Lucy blushed and nodded.

_'You know, he can be a gentleman sometimes.' _she thought while she chuckled.


	5. Chapter 5

5. Torture

The contest had been harsh, Natsu represented Team A and Gajeel Team B. They both gained some points in the challenge 'Chariot' and despite of Natsu's motion sickness, he was so happy to win Fairy Tail's first points. Lucy went to check on him in the infirmary while the fight between Lamia Scale and Raven Tail went on until victory was claimed by the last one. Wendy and Carla were transferred to another room because of Natsu's snoring. It seemed that she had recovered a lot and she would be able to compete very soon. For now, all Lucy wanted to talk about was what happened before. Celes, the Celestial Dragon Spirit, had chosen her to be its owner. Lucy didn't have the slightest idea why he wanted her. She kept wondering about what he said. He had spoken of the door, or portal, that was only accessible to dragons. Maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to show Natsu where his father had gone to. On the other hand, however, she was forbidden to do so. Celes had been very clear about that.

"Hmmrmm..."

"Natsu? You're awake?"

"Mmm... Myeah..."

"Feeling better?"

"Kinda, need water..."

"Kay, I'll get you some."

She walked out of the room to fetch him a glass. She walked down the stairs to the main kitchen and looked for a fridge. Lucy filled a cup with ice cold water and put the bottle back into the fridge. Suddenly, she got this feeling again. There were eyes aimed at her. Looking around, she dropped the glass.

"Ah, damn it."

Lucy kneeled to collect all the pieces. She reached out to a larger one and cut her finger.

"Owieee! This isn't my lucky day, it seems."

A stream of blood covered her left index finger. She searched for a sink and put the pieces down on the counter. She let some cold water pour down the cut and sighed.

"I really am kind of hopeless at times."

"You sure are."

Lucy backed away, looked around and pulled out one of her keys. She didn't need to think or hesitate, for she recognized this feeling very well. It was the same feeling, the same uneasiness like that one in the alleyway. She immediately let Sagittarius appear in front of her.

"Come out! Wherever you are!"

"It's hot when you act like that. Although there's no reason to get that pumped."

"I said, show yourself! I know you have been following me for a while now!"

"Indeed, I have. I have been observing your beautiful existence for about two days now. You never seem to bore me with your spunky behavior."

Lucy felt her hair get blown away, so she promptly turned around and took the whip from her belt. Sagittarius kept close to her while he was ready to shoot his arrow at any time.

"Lucy Heartfilia, is it? Hi, I'm..."

A blond haired man appeared with a dangerous looking expression on his face.

"Sting, a member of Sabertooth. You probably heard about me a lot."

"You're that guy that insulted Natsu!"

"Who?"

"Natsu Dragneel, the dragon slayer in Fairy Tail."

"Oooh, that moron."

"Don't call him that! And by the way, didn't he just beat you in the contest?" she said with a smirk.

"Are you serious? You couldn't call that a contest, it was a stupid game. It didn't mean anything. We don't need those puny points to win this thing."

"Don't come yapping when we win because of those puny points!"

"Still hanging on that attitude, are we? Well, I do like it when you act all feisty."

"Ugh. Give me a break and get the hell away from me!"

"I'm afraid I won't, because you see..."

In less than an instant, he was able to grab her wrists and pin them down the counter while he roared Sagittarius to the spirit world. Lucy tried to break free, but he was far too strong. He played with her by trying to kiss her. She screamed so loud he had to shut her up eventually. He covered her mouth with his left hand while he leaned in closer to whisper something. When he was finished, she felt like her eyes would fall out of their sockets. He smirked, stroked her chin and finally left. Lucy tried to vaguely remember what he just said, for it was that disgusting.

_"You'll be mine soon." _

Elfman won against Bacchus, and again, the guild had a get together BUT this time to celebrate! Everybody acknowledged Elfman, drank and danced the evening away. The guild had its energy back but Juvia had been awfully quiet lately. It didn't really bother Gray, but he was... starting to miss her clinging on to him. Juvia sat silent at the bar while drinking some beer. She was short to anybody who came near her and she wouldn't tell what was bothering her.

"Yo, what's up?"

Gray decided to break the ice (get it?) and ask her straight out.

"Juvia wishes you leave Juvia alone."

"Whaa..."

Gray was stumped. Normally, she would get all rosy and shy whenever he'd come near her. Now, she was as cool as a cucumber.

"You heard Juvia. Leave."

She took a sip and continued staring in front of her. Lyon came by and asked if she wanted to dance. Although he wasn't a member of the guild, master Makarov had allowed Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale to join the party. Juvia created a wave and swooped him away from her.

"What's up with you lately?"

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR, GRAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

By this, the whole guild stopped their actions to look at her. There were tears filling her eyes as she left the pub. Erza wanted to follow her, until Gray said he'd handle it. He ignored the blue cat with his irritating catch phrase and left. He saw Juvia standing in the rain. She didn't bother her clothes being soaked. He walked up to her and asked if she wanted to talk. Juvia simply nodded.

"I want to know what's bothering you. So come on, talk to me."

"Gray-sama, I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Juvia feels that Juvia is being watched. Last night, Juvia got threatened by someone. Juvia couldn't do anything about his attacks. Juvia's body should be immune to physical attacks, but Juvia got hurt very bad and the scars won't disappear."

She took off her coat and Gray saw wounds on her arms, her back and stomach.

"Juvia was told not to talk about this to anybody, so Juvia was forced to keep distance from the others. The man plans to attack Juvia more often if Juvia wins any contests. Gray-sama, Juvia has thought about it long enough and Juvia is thinking about leavi..."

Gray grabbed her waist and pulled her against him. He let his hand rest on her neck while he gently caressed her back. Juvia dropped her coat and began to blush.

"Don't you dare say that."

She looked into his eyes and saw a spark inside the pupils.

"Who is this guy? I'll beat him up for this, nobody does this to my nakama."

"N... Nakama?"

"Don't be so surprised. Haven't you known it all along?"

"Y... Yes but..."

"Who is it? I'll make sure he never dares to come near you again."

She took a deep breath while she clung to his bare chest. He hugged her tightly while he heard her say that name...

"Nullpudding..."


	6. Chapter 6

6. I'll Make You Strong

Gajeel was discussing some battle strategies with Tigerlily. They chucked down multiple beers while doing so and he had already noticed the look of a tiny mage, standing a few meters away. She tried to avoid his gaze whenever he locked eyes with her. He got tired of this little game she was playing with him and stood up. Levy shrieked when she got dragged to the bar and she was DEFENITLY not able to protest. Gajeel the bulldozer, once again, had total control.

"Stop that act of yours, it's annoying."

"What act?! And oww! Put me down!"

"Oh. Was I still holding you? My bad."

She hissed something and sat down.

"You don't have to treat me so harsh, you know."

"Don't be a weakling, I said I was gonna make you big, didn't I?"

"Yes, but that's no reason to be so rude."

"Shut up, you're avoiding the subject here."

"I'm not putting on an act."

"Oh. You're not? Don't screw with me."

"What?"

"You forgot about yesterday? First you're all shy, then do... that... and now, you're acting like you don't know anything. Give me a break."

Levy played with her thumbs while she listened to his complaining. He kept on teasing her and made her hair messy, AGAIN.

"Gajeel! Stop it already!"

"Oi, shrimp, take it easy!"

"Don't call me that! It's LEVY! L-E-V-Y!"

"S-C-H-R-I-M-P. I can spell too, you know."

"You are unbelievable! I've had enough of your fucking attitude towards me! Don't bother talking to me again!"

"You get mad so easily. It's quite entertaining."

"You ass!"

With that, she walked away and went to stand with Jet and Droy. Gajeel was kind of surprised she took it that way. He was just asking her a question. He asked Lily whether he had done something wrong. The cat just sighed and shook his head. Gajeel munched on some iron and scratched his head. He was just teasing her, nothing more. She just didn't have to be so easily tempered.

"Gajeel, I'd talk to her if I were you."

Mirajane had seen the whole thing and decided to give him a little push. He obviously was too ignorant to realize he was at fault here.

"Think about it Gajeel. I don't really know what 'that' was, but maybe it wasn't that easy for her to do 'that', maybe she needed a lot of courage for it."

"Mira, it's nothing..."

"Go. Talk. To. Her."

Her face scared the shit out of him, he'd do anything to avoid the wrath of that demon lady. She probably had another of her fantasies. This time, it included him and that shrimp.

He tried to intercept her, but she avoided him by all means. He practically hunted her down. She slipped through the backdoor and slunk through the streets. The last thing she wanted now, was that iron eating dick complaining about stuff. She had almost reached the inn when she suddenly heard footsteps. She saw a dark figure catching up with her. She didn't bother looking around anymore and picked up the pace a little. She heard some new footsteps around her but she kept on walking. Another pair of steps were heard in her surroundings. She was about to open the door when two men grabbed her and took her with them. They ran a few blocks and threw her behind some wooden walls. This street was a dead end.

"What do you want from me?!" Levy shouted.

"Everything you posses. Your money, your precious belongings... maybe even... your virginity."

The guys sneered at her and began to search through her bag. She tried to use her magic, but two of them had her pinned down to the ground. They shut her mouth and she got hit in the face. She closed her eyes, hoping it'd all be over soon. She felt a tear going down her cheek. How she hated being so weak...

All this... was prove.

She felt something warm, something surrounding her. Levy could tell it were arms, who was it?

She looked up, only to see she was being carried by the iron dragon slayer. He held her tight, her face leaning against his chest. Her head hurt like hell, her legs were paralyzed and her hands were stained with blood.

"Gajeel?" she was barely able to say.

He looked at her with relieve in his eyes. Were those... tears?

"Levy..."

He stood still and fell to his knees.

"Gajeel!"

She embraced his shoulders with one arm and cupped his face with the other. His hands trembled while he breathed heavily.

"What happened to you?!"

"Why are you asking me!? Look at yourself, moron!"

He held her in his arms and hugged her gently. He stroked her hair and Levy felt tears brimming over.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Outside of town. We're on a hill that looks out on the palace."

"Why did you take me here?"

He looked at her and smiled. He wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"Don't worry, shrimp. I saved your ass. Those bastards didn't do anything to you."

She gave him a weak smile but then she started crying again. Gajeel let his forehead touch hers while he spoke to her, softly.

"I wouldn't let them hurt you."

Levy saw the honesty in his eyes and she didn't give a damn he called her shrimp again. He could call her everything, she was just so happy he saved her. He still held on to her small body as if it would fall apart if he let go. Levy's face was so close to his but she made the space even smaller. She let her upper lip touch his lower. She closed her eyes as she felt him returning the kiss. It was a soft peck, he treated her gently and she liked it.

Gajeel couldn't stop kissing her. He liked the shrimp a lot and he had beaten the shit out of those guys when he saw her lying there. They had tried to run away but he got them all. They had hit Levy until her face bled. He felt the anger boiling inside of him and let it all out. He was terrified she wouldn't wake up and he couldn't stop thinking about things like; 'what if I hadn't followed her?', 'what if I had come too late?'.

He looked her in the eyes and he saw her smiling. He was so happy the little one was doing well. He wanted to say something but her breathing suddenly stopped.

"Levy? Levy?! LEVY!"

He ran as fast as he could to the nearest hospital. He never left her side and held her hand all the way. Her breathing came back, but she was weak. Very weak. She laid there, in the hospital bed. He could only stay with her and talk to her. She had a thingy on her mouth to help her breathing become steady again. Gajeel sat there, he didn't sleep that night nor did he leave that chair. He leaned closer to kiss her forehead from time to time.

"I'm gonna make you strong, Levy."

A tear slid from his eye and landed on her nose. He would never leave her again, for he loved her.


	7. Chapter 7

7. Clumsiness

Gray hadn't seen Juvia for a long time. It felt like she was avoiding him. Even though he said he was going to protect her, she didn't dare approaching him. That Nullpudding had been intervening with him in the contest before, this time, however, it would be him that shall have the upper hand. Gray could feel the nerve-wracking anger stirring underneath his flesh.

"Jo! You guys seen Juvia?"

Team B sat calmly at the bar, drinking beer and discussing further strategies.

"No, she said she'd be at the inn to rest." said Laxus

"She was going to take a shower, dress up and then trying to find Lucy. She said she wanted to talk to her immediately." said Mirajane.

"What for?"

"Beats me," said Gajeel, "I thought there was something peculiar about that attitude of hers, but I didn't want to treat her like a baby."

"I see."

Mirajane tapped his schoulder and she couldn't help but smirk. Gray could practically see hearts flying all around her while she was, jet again, fantasizing about him being related to the water mage.

"Well... I gotta go, see ya!"

He ran off, partly to avoid those fantasies that scared the shit outta him.

"Why won't you face me?" he thought.

"Luce, I really don't get it. I know you're weird, but to go swimming in a pond like that..."

"Oh just shut it already!"

She was getting tired of his attempts to get something out of her. She refused to tell him, for she would never break a promise. He would understand, in time. She had hid the crystal key, just as Celes had told her to. It was securely hidden in... her... bra. With her revealing clothing, where else would she be able to put it? Well, it wasn't really hidden INSIDE the bra, more like attached to the strap.

"Fine."

The pink haired dragon slayer laid down on the couch while she put her groceries away. He closed his eyes and Lucy couldn't help but notice the calm expression he wore. His face looked peaceful. It was... beautiful. All the blood in her body decided to make a trip to her face. She felt her heart pound faster and faster the longer she looked at him.

"What's wrong? You're quiet."

He opened one eye and yawned. He saw her being odd. She was just standing there, like she looked through him. He stood up and waved in front of her face. A glass bowl almost slipped out of her hand, luckily Natsu caught it.

"You seem distracted?"

"Well, I... eh... Maybe I'm just tired."

She turned around but she immediately regretted it. She hit a rack with knives, which fell on the ground with a loud, scattering noise. She tried to take a step forward but somehow, that goddamn scarf of his made her trip. She screeched while she saw those pointy knives approaching her vision with every second.

"Luce!"

He pulled her waist to him as fast as he could. The movement made him stumble backwards and he fell on his back, together with the blonde. She needed a moment to register where she was and what had happened. She felt a muscular chest below hers and two strong arms holding her. She looked in his eyes and again, the world stood still. He caressed her hair, as if he wanted to check she was okay.

"Don't worry, you're safe."

He showed her his toothy grin while she could only blush. She liked being so close to him. He had, once again, saved her ass. She was glad her breasts weren't squishing his face, again. Although he wouldn't have minded that...

"I know." she giggled.


	8. Chapter 8

8. Dragon Troubles

While Natsu watched her preparing dinner, he could only gaze at her beautiful face. Who knew Lucy was such a natural beauty when she blushed.

"Hey, NATSU!"

He almost shrieked when he snapped out of his daydream. Lucy stood before him and pointed to the table.

"I said, dinner's ready."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

They both sat down on a chair and began eating. Lucy was the best cook and she knew how much Natsu liked his food. Spicy and well done. He munched and munched until he breathed clouds. A normal human being would have died from the spices. But not Natsu.

"Hey, let's go on a job. It's almost the end of the month and I'll have to pay my rent."

"Sure, you can pick one."

"Are you sure? I picked the last one, remember?"

"Doesn't matter, as long as your rent gets paid, it's all right."

"Okay, I'll make sure to take a job with a high reward."

"Don't worry about it Luce. Just pick a job that suits you."

"Well... what about your share?"

"Don't worry about it. I don't want you to be stressed about your rent so make sure you get the money, that's all that matters."

"Okay, thanks Natsu."

As she wanted to stand up and clean the table, Natsu stopped her and said he'll do it. Lucy was astonished. Natsu offered to help cleaning something? Where the hell did that come from?

"Do you want to dry?"

"Sure."

Together they did the dishes in less than a minute. Lucy smiled at him and began to giggle.

"What is it?"

"Oh... no it's nothing."

She kept giggling. Natsu didn't understand her at all, so he persuaded her a little more.

"Come on, tell me."

"It's just that... It looks like we're living together. You know, doing dishes together. Me making dinner for the both of us. It's funny."

"I don't really see what's funny about it. I'd think it's only natural."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... We're eh... on the same team and stuff... and I practically barge in quite often. So... I kind of feel that I'm already living here... And I don't mind. In fact, I kinda like it..."

Lucy blushed and blushed and blushed and blushed.

"Natsu, you really think that?"

"Well... yeah."

"Oh, how sweet."

Without realizing it herself, she pecked a short kiss on his cheek and wandered off to the bathroom. Natsu sat down on the couch and began daydreaming again. He could still feel the warmth of her soft lips against his face. He felt perfect and happy, but something scared him a little. It was this feeling of wanting more, wanting her... to be his.


	9. Chapter 9

9. You're gonna pay

Gray walked slowly as he thought about Juvia. When she said his name, he could feel the blood boiling inside his veins and he never would have thought he was able to feel such hatred for anyone. That Nullpudding targeted him in the round 'Hidden' and not only that, he threatened Juvia. The girl was innocent, she'd never hurt a fly. Well, only if it involved Gray of course. He had never seen the fear and desperation that she carried in her eyes. He had sworn to never see that look again.

"Gray! What's taking you so long!"

A cute blonde girl walked up to him and he only noticed when he almost bumped into her.

"Are you okay? You seem to be daydreaming a lot lately."

"Everything's fine." he lied.

He didn't know why, but somehow he knew Juvia wouldn't appreciate it if he would just gossip away about het problem. So he kept quiet.

"You don't seem fine. You know you can trust me, trust us."

"I know that, I'm just a little tired."

"Oh, okay. The Arena is being cleaned so the contest is on hold for this afternoon. Why don't you go and rest some more?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"And say hi to Juvia for me, I haven't seen her in a while."

"Wh... why so you think I'll see her?"

"Because she's always near. Wherever you are, she's there, trust me..."

"That's creepy, Lucy. You make her sound like a stalker."

"You never noticed?"

"No."

Lucy face palmed herself mentally at his response. How could he be so dense? He's just like that dragon slayer... sigh.

"Luce! Over here!"

She looked over her shoulder and saw a pink haired, enthusiastic flame head waving at her. She waved back and smiled.

"Well, I gotta go. See you at the inn!"

"Bye."

"Hey Luce, you ready to explore the town some more? I hear they have the best food at the town centre!"

"And the best fish!"

"Sounds good to me. You lead the way."

"All right!

"Aye sir!"

Natsu grabbed her wrist and started running to god knows where. Lucy couldn't help but blush at his touch. His grin never left that handsome face and his eyes were set on 'hungry mode' like Happy's. She couldn't possibly deny that he looked absolutely adorable when he smiled like that.

"Luce!"

Lucy was pulled out of her daze and green irises were only a few millimeters away from her chocolate brown ones. Natsu's hand tapped her head while he examined her.

"What?" she said, irritated by his tapping.

"You seem kinda weird today. Is everything okay?"

"Of course I'm fine... AND STOP CALLING ME WEIRD!"

"Yes Natsu, she can't help that she's heavy and weird and always says things that make her even weirder but you don't say that because that's mea... WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"..."

"You didn't have to kick him that hard. He'll hit the sun."

"That neko... calling me heavy... Natsu!"

"HAAII?"

"Am I heavy?"

He looked at her, confused. Her hands were behind her back, one leg stood behind the other and she looked at her feet with a blush on her face. What's with the mood today?

"Happy just likes to tease you, you know that."

"That was not what I asked."

The girl was nervous, hurt even. Natsu may be dense when it comes to feelings, but he certainly didn't like seeing his nakama like this. He put his arm around her shoulders and looked at her.

"You are absolutely not heavy. And please, don't tell me you can't see how slim you are. Most girls would die for your figure so stop being that self-conscious."

Lucy blushed a thousand shades of red and smiled. She jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his body.

"That's so nice Natsuuu!"

"Wow, Luce take it easy! You're gonna crush me!"

"Sorry." *giggle*

"Now, let's get going. Happy'll find the way on his own."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, now come on! I'm starving!"

Lucy noticed that he didn't have the intention pulling his arm away, so she let hers stay around his middle as they walked. She giggled to herself. They almost looked like a couple. She watched them in a window and she... liked the view.

Natsu stiffened. He forgot to let go of her, but... she hadn't let go either. It felt... nice. Did she notice? No, she was looking around too much. Maybe... they could do this more often?

"Oh, Natsu look!"

She pointed at a fountain. There were flowers everywhere and people dancing and eating all sorts of snacks from the stands. The sight was absolutely beautiful.

"Let's go there for a minute!"

"I don't know..."

Lucy looked around and saw the ultimate plan.

"They have tons of roasted, grilled and baked meat and you can just eat it with your hands... but if you don't want to then I guess we should..."

"Count me in!" the boy shouted.

Natsu pulled her along with him to the nearest food stands. He munched several pieces of meat and to be honest... it was funny. Seeing the customers gaping at his appetite and his weird behavior of eating fire. Priceless.

"So, what's next?" he asked.

Lucy sighed at his appearance. His mouth was dirty and greasy. She pulled a tissue out of her bag and started to clean his mouth.

"You can be such an animal, you know."

"Sorry, dragon side."

Lucy's fingers were elegant and gentle. Natsu enjoyed the look in her eyes when she was concentrating. She threw the tissue away and looked around. People were dancing and laughing. Natsu had asked her before to dance and she missed that moment. Would he ask her again? She'd love that.

"Attention, attention! The bride and groom have arrived! Please let them pass."

Oh. My. God. They crashed a wedding party.

"Luce, are we in trouble?"

"I don't think so, nobody has said anything yet. Let's just pretend."

"Pretend what?"

"To be... you know... a couple."

His eyes widened a little before they closed with a sigh. He walked up to Lucy and she could feel her heart pumping fast. He grabbed her hip, pulled her closer and whispered.

"If we're gonna do this, I need you to be relaxed around me."

"I... I am."

He grinned. Oh how she loved that grin. Her hand found its way to his chest while the other snaked around his body. He was so warm.

"Hey! Those two don't belong here!"

Goddamned...

"RUN LUCE!"

They began running through the streets but every corner was barred or too crowded to be able to run. Natsu growled and picked Lucy up.

"Hey! What are doing!"

"We're flying out of here!"

"WE'RE WHAT?!"

Natsu lit his feet on fire and jumped. The flames pushed them in the sky and they were able to escape. Lucy couldn't stop shouting in his ear and screaming and he was seriously considering dropping her.

"Natsu where are we going?!"

"I don't know. For now... just enjoy the view."

Lucy was thrown into the sky. A few seconds later, Natsu caught her and repositioned her. He now held her by her middle and she did the same. She could see the beautiful city and she saw the sun was already setting. Man, time flies when you're enjoying yourself.

"This is so cool Natsu! Why haven't we done this before?"

"Okay, if you want to do this more often."

"Reaaally?"

"On one condition."

"And that is?"

"Kiss me."


	10. Chapter 10

10. Celes [NaLu, GaLe, Gruvia]

Lucy had been walking around the room for hours, thinking about the situation that she and Natsu had been in yesterday.

"Kiss me" he said. Or better, she thought he said that. She was so caught up in her fantasy that she didn't notice his shocked expression when she locked her lips with his. He pulled away instantly and asked her why she behaved so weird. He hadn't said anything at all and Lucy imagined his demand. There had never been a more awkward moment between them and they remained silent for the rest of the flight.

When she locked the door behind her, she couldn't help the tears streaming out of her eyes and it felt like her heart ripped in two shreds. The moment was so perfect and because of her, it was ruined. In the blink of an eye, all the excitement and butterflies were replaced by sorrow and false hope. False hope, that he would suddenly meet her and hug her. Tell her that he actually liked it and felt the same way. But what did SHE feel actually? Was it a stupid wave of desire that caught her? Was it a sudden, impulsive action? Or... did she actually have feelings for him? She didn't know at all.

Suddenly, a burning pain shot through her shoulder and she dropped to one knee. A yellow light came from the key she had attached to the strap of her bra.

"What the...?"

"Lucy, listen."

It was the voice of Celes. She didn't know why, but there seemed to be something wrong. His voice was terrifying.

"I don't have much time so shut up and listen to what I have to say. There's something wrong with my portal. It often glows like it does now and it burns me. I noticed that it hurts you too. I don't know why it does that but I think it has something to do with the strange forces around the arena. It's like I'm being forced to come out."

"So... what do you want me to do about it?"

"I'm thinking about letting it have his way."

"WHAT? You're gonna come out?!"

"In a different form. I'll appear as a human, so don't worry."

"A... human? How are you gonna do that?"

"Don't mind the details, prepare yourself. I'm coming out."

And with that, Celes broke through the portal and appeared in a golden flash of light. He was tall, had white spiky hair and yellow eyes. He was muscular and had a scar on the left side of his face. When the light disappeared, she could see the spirit world clothes. His clothes were white and had golden edges. He'd stand out, no doubt. Lucy ran to a closet and picked out more casual clothes for him. Surprisingly, he accepted the clothes and changed. He looked handsome, especially with the normal clothes. It made him look like a normal human.

"I thought you'd appear in a form that was more... you know... that you'd look older."

"I appear, just like the other spirits, in the form that would please the owner."

"Right. Sorry."

"There are more urgent matters that we need to be concerned about. You're probably wondering why I wanted to come out."

Lucy nodded.

"The portal that connects us is not similar to the gates of the other spirits that you posses. My gate is connected to your intuition, feelings and most of all, need."

"I don't quite understand."

"I'll put it this way. I'll be the first to come to your aid if you are in danger. Because..."

He inhaled sharply and Lucy listened very closely.

"When you die, I die."

"WHAT?!"

"It is something unique to my kind. I'm not a real dragon, meaning I don't live on my own. I've wandered millions of years until I felt your presence. I instantly called you and I was relieved you heard it. When I gave you my key, I didn't even realize I was able to make one in the first place."

"So, if you aren't one of the Celestial Spirits, then what are you?"

"You could say I'm a banished spirit, doomed to wander in the spirit world until I find something to hang on to, or someone. My kind, I don't know how to call it, are wanderers. When I felt your magic power, it made me do things that I wasn't even aware of that I could do. I never knew I was a spirit that could have an owner. I guess I acted on instinct."

"So... what now? You're in the human world now and I'm surprised you haven't shown any signs of trouble."

"How so?"

"When a spirit remains in the human world for a long time, they begin experiencing pain and stuff. They aren't made to live in the human world and they eventually fade away. I thought because this is your first time coming here and with that, breaking through the portal on your own free will... I'd expect you to feel pain almost instantly."

"It's weird really. But I can tell you this. When you feel sad, I feel sad. When you're happy, it warms me from the inside. The feeling you just had moments ago was so painful I wanted to know what was bothering you. So from now on, I'll see to your well being."

"I appreciate the offer, but you can't stay here too long. And what will my friends say?"

"I'm human now, my name is Celes and I'm another spirit you obtained in a shop or something."

"But your key stands out too much. It's made of a crystallized mineral."

"You bought it and let it have a special design."

"What about my other spirits? What will they say if they encounter you? They've never seen you in the spiritual world."

"I'm the only spirit that will be present. I'll fight for you from now on and if you wish to summon other spirits, they won't be able to see me or sense my presence. I'll see to that."

"All right... I guess we know what to do from now on."

"Agreed."

VLAM!

"Hey Luce, the tournament is gonna..."

The dragon slayer looked at Celes and the tone in his voice dropped tenfold.

"Who are you?"


	11. Chapter 11

11. Everyone's Turn of Events [NaLu, GaLe, Gruvia]

Gray had offered to accompany Juvia wherever she'd go. Of course, knowing the water mage, she began blushing and daydreaming about various scenes involving Gray and babies. Gray had noticed that whenever Lyon would appear and hit on Juvia, he'd get annoyed beyond recognition.

"Juvia, long time no see."

"Lyon... Juvia hasn't seen you in a while either."

"I know a great place to lunch. I bet you haven't eaten yet."

"Well... I'm actually not that hungry..."

"Nonsense, let's go, just you and me."

"Would you quit bugging her! She said no!"

Gray stood between the two and threw a glance at Lyon. He was still trying to win Juvia and let her transfer to Lamia Scale. No way he'd let that happen.

"Get out of here, I'm taking her out."

"G... Gray-sama..."

"What? Her? Go out with you? Do you even hear yourself? The thought itself is utterly ridiculous. You should let the older man take care of the lady."

"What's so ridiculous about it? I can picture it very well and it doesn't seem odd."

Juvia's heart pounded louder than ever. Did he actually say he wouldn't mind dating her? Oh my, this day couldn't get any better.

"Ohh, so the little one is going to try and steal my girlfriend?"

"G... Girlfriend?" Juvia said.

"Please, why would she ever accept to be your girlfriend. She deserves better."

That being said, he grabbed Juvia by the wrist and guided her through the city. Juvia felt like passing out.

"Mmmh... Where... Am I?"

The blue-haired mage opened her eyes slowly and coughed. There was a tool stuck to her mouth and she felt something in her throat. Was this... a hospital?

"Levy?"

A manly voice surrounded her eardrums and she looked over to the man. She only saw a blurry, black spot sitting beside her. Her vision cleared and she saw the iron dragon slayer next to her, holding her hand.

"Levy! Are you all right?"

"Y... yeah I think so. Where are we?"

"The town's hospital. You've been out for hours."

"Gajeel... You saved me."

Tears were starting to fill her eyes as she gazed upon her savior. He leaned over her tiny body and kissed her forehead. If that breathing mechanism wasn't there, he'd kiss her full on the lips.

"From now on, you stay by my side."

"Okay... I will."

She smiled and hugged his shoulders. A few seconds later, the doctors came into her room to detach the machine on her mouth. She could go home today but she would have to take it easy and let the wounds on her face heal.

"Let's get going, Levy."

"You can call me shrimp."

"Who are you?" he growled.

"My name is Celes. And you must be Natsu Dragneel."

"Luce, what's he doing here?"

"He's a new celestial spirit of mine. He's my friend."

"I'm here so see if Lucy is doing well. Because of you, I could feel she was hurt and I'm just going to warn you with this," he stepped closer to Natsu and his face was only inches away from his, "If you ever hurt her again, you're finished."

Celes was a bit taller, but they both looked scary enough when intimidating.

"Guys, there's no need to act like this. Let's just go and watch the tournament."

"As you wish."

"Can't he go back to the spirit world or something?"

"I'll see to Lucy's well being and while you're around, my presence will be absolutely necessary."

"Why should I ever do something to upset her?!"

"Don't come up with excuses. I've felt her pain and it was caused by you. Stop playing games. Now, if you'd excuse us," he pushed lucy with one hand on her lower back, "Lucy asked to attend the tournament."

He guided her through the door, still holding his hand on the small of her back. Natsu felt a nerve popping and his blood circulating faster. This guy was acting too familiar around her. If he was to go too far, he wouldn't hesitate to beat the crap out of him.


	12. Chapter 12

12. Jealousy

There might have been no problem if it wasn't for the shithead next to him. Natsu saw Celes standing very close to Lucy, like he was her guardian or something. This guy irritated the crap out of him and he swore that he wouldn't hold back if he even sensed the tiniest bit of betrayal. Because, he didn't trust the guy, at all.

Lucy stood there, nervous. He tried to observe her and think about what might bother her. But every time he took a step to talk to her, Celes would come an stand right in front of him so that he had no chance at all of talking to her.

Lucy sighed and let her arms rest on the balcony. She wasn't focused at all and she had the feeling that she wouldn't be any time soon. Thoughts came running in and out of her mind and the constant feeling of Natsu's eyes scanning her, annoyed her a lot. Why was he so oblivious? She didn't mind Celes' company, she actually thanked him for keeping Natsu away from her. But she also knew that this wasn't the right way to deal with the situation.

Celes knew Natsu wasn't pleased by his actions. The dragon slayer was boiling and on the verge of a tantrum. It was rare for the pink haired boy to be distracted from a battle that was going on in front of his nose. Natsu was just too focused watching her.

As he looked at the blonde, he felt some kind of weird feeling in his chest. It was chewing and pulling and it only worsened whenever he repeated the same sentence in his mind.

'Did I make her unhappy?'

He didn't know why, but Lucy was glowing, shining. It was as if she was bathed in a pool of light and all he could see, hear, smell or feel, was her. The crowd, the guild members, the contestants, the judges, nobody was there, except her. The feeling in his chest tightened and loosened at the same time. He didn't know whether he liked the feeling or not. It was foreign and he didn't know how to deal with it.

Lucy sighed again, her mind was filled and bound to spill by negative thoughts. She liked Natsu, but they were a team. She loved Natsu, but he didn't feel the same way. She thought he was irritating, but he was protective and caring. She couldn't help the tears brimming over.

Celes noticed the girl's change of emotions. He picked her up bridal style and jumped up high in the air. Natsu had enough of this. He followed them and ran up the wall, to the top of one of the castle towers. He noticed the tears as well and he was just about to pull her into a hug when that bastard took her away from him.

He put Lucy down on the roof and sat next to her.

"Lucy, you should not be so vulnerable."

"I-I know. I don't know what's happening to me. I really don't know..."

"Lucy, you are stronger than this. Come here."

He pulled the girl in his lap and stroked her hair. She shivered and cried in the crook of his neck. Whenever she felt like this, he felt the same. He sensed her mood swing immediately and decided to take action before things would go out of hand. He swore to the girl that he would be there for her, and he was.

"C-Celes, what did I do wrong? Maybe I screwed up..."

"Stop that, you know you did nothing wrong. You are a smart, funny, beautiful girl and you have to stop thinking bad things about yourself. You're perfect and I bet that no one's going to deny that."

"T-Thank you Celes."

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!"

The moment Nastu saw her sitting in his lap, he lost it. This anger he felt, was nothing like the rage that had swollen up inside of him before. It was deeper, more like hatred. He wanted to punch the guy to oblivion for acting so familiar around his girl.

Wait... his girl? HIS girl?


	13. Chapter 13

13. Realization

The adrenaline pumped through his veins. He saw the cunt holding on to her like some boyfriend would hold his girl. There was no way in hell that Natsu was gonna let this happen.

"I said, let her go!" Natsu growled.

"Try me." Celes huffed. He pushed Lucy away from him and took a fighting stand. Lucy was too caught up in the moment to counter Celes' push so she fell on the stone floor and sprained her wrist. She winced.

"Lucy! Look what you've done! She's hurt because of you!" Natsu shouted. First, this asshole pretends like he has known her all his life, then he acts as if he's her boyfriend or something, holds her and then pushes her to the ground, causing her pain. This. Was. It.

"I'm gonna burn you to a crisp for hurting her, you hear me! I will punch your corpse to oblivion!"

"Just try and hit me, flameboy."

With that, Natsu charged at him with his fire dragon fist. His rage was all packed up in that ball of fury and he was finally going to release it. He smashed Celes' face once and then punched him another time in the gut. All of the frustrations and jealousy exploded from his fists into the dipshit in front of him.

"You are quite the puncher."

Natsu turned around immediately but was send flying the minute he spotted Celes. Realization struck him. He was punching at an illusion.

"Now, it's my turn."

Celes opened his mouth and a gold orb appeared. He roared and a gigantic ray of light shot out of it. Natsu couldn't block the force and was, again, sent flying. His whole body was sore and beat up by just one hit. How could this guy be so strong? It didn't even look like he was putting much effort into it. Damn it! Just who is this guy?!

"Come on now, you can do better than that. I released only a fraction of my roar. You're lucky I held back a little."

"Go fuck yourself. I'll beat you with this next hit!"

Lucy watched the two with fear. Natsu didn't know how strong he was, but to be honest, Lucy didn't know either. She just met Celes a few days ago and he had never shown his powers before. It looked as if he had no trouble at all fighting Natsu. Lucy was scared. What if this turned out bad? What would she do then? What should she do now?

"This is it, you fuckface!"

"Don't bother, loser!"

As an explosion between the two colliding forces blew the two a few feet away, a blonde girl felt a stream of warm liquid pouring out of her side.


	14. Chapter 14

14. Black out

"Hey, why don't we go outside? I've been laying here for hours, I want to stretch my legs a little."

"Oh no, shrimp. No can do, you're staying here."

"Gajeel! I want to go outside! What about everyone else? They're probably worried!"

"I know that, but you're staying put until the doctors say you can go."

Levy pouted and crossed her arms. Gajeel noticed the cute look on her face and he couldn't stop staring at her. How could he find such a tiny girl so endearing? He was the type of guy that normally liked rough, punk looking girls. But Levy had somehow changed his view regarding women. Yes, Levy, a tiny blue haired mage had succeeded in changing Gajeel, well, sort of.

"Hey! Don't eat that!" Levy shouted.

"What? The bed has enough poles to stand on."

"Watch out! AAAAH!"

A loud thud and a whimpering Levy laid on the ground in front of the metal eating dragon slayer. Gajeel swallowed when he saw the girl's straps slide off her shoulders. With her hair messy, fuzzy look and bare shoulders she looked damn sexy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know these beds couldn't hold shit."

"I-It's okay..."

Gajeel had kneeled in front of her and snaked an arm around her. He was intending to lift her and fix the bed but Levy's leg got stuck in the blanket which caused them to fall again. Gajeel laid on top of the little shrimp, who had a face as red as a so called equip mage.

"I-I..."

"You're too clumsy, you know that?" he grinned.

Levy looked at the man towering above her. His torso was large and so was the rest of his body. Her legs were spread at his sides and her tiny palms rested on his chest. A weird hint of excitement rushed through her belly. She removed her hands and covered her eyes in embarrassment.

"Gajeel, we're... um..."

"What is it? Nervous? Hey, what's up?"

The dumbass finally noticed the position they were in and in the split of a second, he felt a strange feeling in his groin.

"S-sorry..."

He pulled away swiftly and helped her back on her feet.

"You know, I'm already standing, so... why don't we just get out of here? I'm sick of this hospital."

"That's ironic." Gajeel said.

"All right then."

He shoved the window open and looked at her. She wore a confused look on that cute face of hers. Gajeel walked over to her and picked her up bridal style.

"Hold on tight, Lev."

Gajeel jumped out of the window, on top of roofs and looked at the girl in his arms from time to time. The sun was setting and the light in her eyes reflected like a prism. His heart flattered at the sight and drowned in her eyes when hers met his. This girl really had an impact on his feelings.

Gray walked around endlessly. He had searched around the whole town to find Juvia. They hadn't talked in ages and he was starting to feel worried. Ever since she mentioned the bastard's name, he couldn't bring himself to stop thinking about punching the shit out of him.

When he reached the centre of town again, he decided to cease the search and go back to the inn. He watched the sunset for a moment until he saw a certain dragon slayer jumping on the roofs. He saw him carrying a blue haired girl and he inwardly congratulated him.

He sighed, maybe she really didn't want to see him.

- MEANWHILE -

"So, what are you going to do?" the man asked, grinning.

"I'm... going to... disappear..."

Small puddles of blood surrounded her and although she was familiar with water, she never liked the look of this liquid.

"And?"

"Tell... Gray..."

"Good."

He walked down the alleyways and glanced in all directions. He hoped to see a glimpse of what he was looking for. He just had to turn around one last corner and he would be at his inn. However, he heard someone whisper something. He turned around and saw a familiar shadow disappear in a small street. He ran as fast as he could until he saw it was a dead end. Again, a whisper. Looking for someone, he glanced into the street. Suddenly, he was dragged into a small door and the light escaped his eyes.

"Hey! Let me go, what are yo-"

"Gray..."

He squeezed the shoulder he had in his palm and caressed the neckline of the stranger.

"Juvia?"

She used her magic as a torch and her whole body lit up. Gray couldn't believe what he saw. The girl in front of him had no sign of life in her eyes, they were faded and blurry. She was covered in bruises and blood and there were dried tears sticking to her cheeks.

"Juvia! What happened to you!" he cried out.

Juvia couldn't utter a word. She had to do this, she knew it would be difficult, but she never imagined the pain she'd experience to be so great. The man's voice was muted and she only saw part of his body, it was all blurry.

"Gray, listen..."

Her voice wasn't the same. It seemed as if her existence was fading, it was as if Gray tried to touch the girl, but only found air stroking his fingertips.

"I... I'm leaving..."

"What? What do you mean, you're leaving?"

"I... I don't have much time... left... I..."

"Juvia?"

His eyes fell on her neck and he saw a strange symbol pulsing. It looked like a... timer.

"Juvia what is going on?! Tell me!"

He held the girl in his arms and pulled her head even closer to his chest. She felt cold, too cold.

"Gray, I need to tell you..."

"You don't have to go Juvia, that bastard won't lay a finger on you, I promise just stay with us, with ME. There's no way I'll let anyone touch my nakama, so stay with me and-"

"Gray!"

Her shout stiffened him and loosened his grip. He felt the tears brimming over and soaking his shirt.

"Gray, this symbol tells me how much time I have to say goodbye to you, so please, listen..."

Gray took a step back and watched her finding the right words.

"I wanted to thank you, Gray. You showed me I could live without sorrow and thanks to you, I made many friends, I even joined Fairy Tail."

"Juvia..."

"It is thanks to you I can smile and say that I didn't regret anything. Gray..."

He felt tears escaping his lower eyelid as he watched her. He was scared.

"I've loved you since the day we fought each other. I've loved you even more now that I know you better. If you don't feel the same way, it's okay... I'm just glad I could say it..."

Her body sank to the ground and she gripped her neck, desperately trying to ease the stinging pain the mark was causing her to feel.

"Juvia!"

"Gray..."

He saw her lighted body going out and he lit up his instead. He watched her suffering in his arms and his tears were multiplied tenfold.

"Juvia! I'll save you, just hold on to me and I'll take you to Wendy, we can fix this, I can fi-"

Juvia held two fingers against his lips and a last tear went down her cheek.

"Gray..."

His head lowered itself while his tears fell on her face.

"Juvia..." he whispered in between his sobs.

As their lips met, her last tear fell in Gray's palm, then... her lips left his and her eyes closed.

Gray sat there in silence. Her warmth had faded completely and she laid there, lifeless. He shook her a little, hoping that all of this was just a stupid, very bad joke of hers. He shook again, hoping she'd wake up and be all embarrassed again in his presence. He shook and kissed her, kissed her again and again. He called her name, said 'no' more then he'd ever done in his entire life, all while he held the girl that he loved, but never had the guts to admit it to himself.

His voice screaming her name could be heard almost the entire night...

She opened her eyes and her head felt heavy. As she tried to move, her side hurt unbearably.

"Don't move."

"Celes?"

"Are you out of your mind?! Charging into a battle like that!"

"What do you mean? I..."

"Anyway that flame head is gone, you needn't worry about him hurting you again."

"Natsu? Where is he!"

"He left as soon as I carried you here- Hey! What are you doing! I said don't move!"

"Out of my way!"

She violently pushed him aside and ran out of the house. She had to find him because she knew how he was. He was blaming himself now and who knows what he'd do?

"Natsu!" she shouted.


	15. Chapter 15

15. Pleasure

"Natsu!" she shouted.

- MEANWHILE -

A certain pink haired mage burnt another tree and kicked the one next to it aside. He growled, cried and punched all obstacles out of his way.

"I hurt her it's my goddamn FAULT!" he said while punching a tree in the air.

He roared and burnt the tree above him into ashes, crying out her name.

She saw an eruption of fire just outside the city. She found him. She ran up to the forest and ran through the already burnt up part of the woods.

"Natsu! Stop!"

He noticed a blonde girl nearing him and his eyes widened when he saw it was Lucy. She was all right.

"Natsu..."

She reached out to him but he fell to his knees immediately. His ravage had drained almost all of his magic.

"Lucy, you're okay..."

She crawled to him and encircled her arms around his shoulders. His tears fell in the crook of her neck, but she didn't give a damn about that. The guy whom she was in love with almost hurt himself.

"You're okay."

"It's all right, don't blame yourself."

"Luce..."

He grabbed her waist and pulled her on his lap. His hand traveled down the small of her back and the other held a firm grip on her hair. It was as if he was afraid she'd slip away.

"I'm sorry if you were worried, Natsu."

"Worried? I wasn't worried."

Lucy frowned and looked in his eyes.

"I was scared to death when I saw you lying there... I..."

Lucy cradled even closer to him until her entire body was pressed against his. His hands found her hips and he kissed her shoulder. A blush appeared on her cheeks as she enjoyed the feeling of his lips touching her skin. He kissed her shoulder and then her collarbone.

Natsu wasn't sure what he was doing, but this girl was so goddamn special to him. He didn't know what this feeling was, it was a strange thing he was doing, but he definitely liked it.

He pushed her on the grass and positioned his body between her legs. He kissed her neckline, her jaw, cheeks and he finally found the courage to press his needing lips on hers. She returned the kiss passionately and ran her fingers through his hair.

It was all happening so fast, one moment she almost died and now he was kissing her firmly. He wanted her all for himself. He needed her and he wanted her.

As his hands discovered her skin and body, she sighed as a response to his touch at some places. It seemed that when he caressed around her breasts, she'd breath a little harder. It wasn't really a breath, it was a sigh, a sigh of pleasure. When he touched her again, but this time a little closer to her cleavage, she sighed even louder.

"Natsu... what are we doing?"

"I don't know..."

He stopped touching her so he could focus on the sweet taste of her lips. They gently kissed each other and their tongues danced in a slow rhythm. Natsu fought off the thought to make her his right here and right now, so he could enjoy this moment. Although he knew that the feeling wasn't going to leave his thoughts. I mean, that overly hot body of hers wasn't going to help.

Natsu's eyes flashed open when he felt her fingers near his abdomen. He saw her cheeks being rosy as petals and he blushed as well. Her fingertips tickled his muscles but he didn't mind at all. Her hand was pulling his zipper down while the other sought something particular. When she found it, she touched the tip and was rewarded with a soft moan.

"Lucy, what..."

"I-I want this, just... I want to give you something."

Her hand began moving up and down his shaft and he clenched and unclenched his hands in the fabric of her shirt. She kissed him while she sped up the pace but Natsu's mind was blurry and his body experienced jolts of pleasure. He wasn't focused on her kisses, he just held his mouth open, enough for her to slip her tongue inside.

Who knew this girl was so good at this and really wanted to pleasure him? When she pressed her lower body against his groin, he lost it. Warm liquid shot out of his tip and covered her hand. His breath was heavy and unstable. He collapsed onto her and kissed her neck.

"That... was awesome..."

"Glad you liked it." she smiled.

"How about this?"

He touched her breast so suddenly she cried out against his chest.

"Whoa, you really like that."

She chuckled and they looked in each other's eyes for a moment. She never saw that hint of desire in his eyes. The perfect moment, however, was ruined by a struck of lightning and thunder crashing down on them. The rain soaked them, smiling, they stood and ran to find some shelter. Natsu picked her up and jumped through the air. When they arrived at the inn, they shared one last kiss in front of the door before going inside.

"Let's go to sleep." she said.

"Right."

When Natsu turned the doorknob they heard a male voice shouting, an awful familiar voice.

"Gray?" they said in unison.


	16. Chapter 16

16. I'll crush you

"Natsu, did you hear that?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, it sounded like Gray and I can smell him."

"Let's go, I'm worried..."

They sprinted in the direction from where the cry came from. It was pitch dark so they had a hard time finding their way throughout the city. Natsu smelled him only a few blocks away.

"Come on, he's close, turn right here!"

When they arrived at what looked like an abandoned house, Natsu kicked the door open and there, they saw the horror.

"Juvia... Juvia... Wake up... Juvia..."

"Gray?" Lucy asked softly.

Her breath retreated in her throat as soon as she saw the lifeless girl in his arms. Gray's eyes were faded and he kept saying the same words over and over again.

"Gray, we're here, what happened?" Natsu asked.

Gray didn't seem to notice him so Natsu approached him and shook his shoulder.

"Gray, can you hea-"

"DON'T TOUCH HER! GET AWAY!"

His eyes were bloodshed and all the veins on his forehead were visible. He clenched Juvia even harder in his arms, while he kept stroking her hair.

"Natsu... Does he even recognize us?"

"Gray, we're your friends. Whoever did this to her is gonna pay big time."

"He's... He's gonna die... by my hand... I'll make him suffer... suffer and die..."

"You're right... He's gonna die."

They all cried in unison. They decided to get back to the inn. Natsu offered to carry Juvia, for Gray looked exhausted.

"No! I'll carry her. I'm going to carry her."

Her head rested peacefully against his chest while he walked. He didn't bother the fact that she was stained all over, he just wanted to hold his girl... his girl.

"I'll get you... Raven Tail."


	17. Chapter 17

17. This is for YOU

The guild was crying. Weeping for their lost friend. Gajeel had a hard time accepting that his former guild member was gone. They always respected each other and looked after another when in trouble. To know that the rain woman was gone was like having a knife pushed down your throat.

"Mina, it is tragic. But no child of mine will be lost, not in vein. Juvia will always be remembered as family. We gave her a place to return to, a place to call home. You gave her friendship and comfort in harsh times. You should be proud to know that she loved you, loved everybody here. Juvia, we'll miss you, my child."

Makarov dried his tears and walked over to Gray. The boy looked lost and confused, but most of all, furious.

"I'm gonna kill the one who did this, gramps."

"Son, you won't find comfort in killing somebody. Lashing out at them, yes, but killing will only make things wor-"

"SHUT UP!"

Gray smashed the table in front of him to pieces and the whole guild fell silent. Nobody had ever seen the ice mage like this. Mostly Natsu would have outbursts like that.

"Gray..."

Natsu put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I'll come with you."

"Natsu!" Makarov yelled.

"Gramps, I understand Gray completely. If anything would happen to the girl I love I wouldn't even be sitting here, I would've ran away immediately to burn that bastard to a crisp. I know how he must feel, although I'm not experiencing the pain he's having now."

"There's no way I can approve this. And besides, do you even know who did this?"

"Raven Tail."

The blonde celestial spirit mage stood nearby. Her eyes, brimming over with tears, sought Makarov's.

"I know they did it. Raven Tail has been eying Gray ever since this competition started. To... to kill... kill Juvia was just another of their nasty tricks."

She went to stand between her two friends and took both of their hands.

"I'm in. We have waited long enough to pay them back."

"I'll go too."

Gajeel stood.

"Me too."

Levy wiped a few tears away and tugged Gajeels arm.

"In that case, I'm in."

Erza drew her sword and pointed it up in the air.

"Everyone! Raven Tail has killed one of our comrades, one of our friends! I don't know about all of you, but I can't just stand here and do nothing! They have made the heart of our guild empty and they will pay for what they did! JUVIA! THIS IS FOR YOU!"

As she shouted those words, more members joined the rebellious group and started barging out the door. They had a serious look on their face and they were ready to take revenge for their nakama.

A few kilometers away, a weeping girl smiled as her heart grew warmer by the minute.

"Mina... Arigatou..."


	18. Chapter 18

18. Fairies United

Loud footsteps were heard during dusk. The floor shook by the immense pressure of the mood. The sky looked sad, for it poured and poured and clouds collided, making the heavens drum. Crashes of lightning filled the atmosphere and wind wept across the streets.

The guild marched to the Raven Tail's inn. All with hatred and sorrow in their hearts. All with the blue haired water mage on their minds, ready to strike and take down the guild's enemy once and for all.

Small flames surrounded the dragon slayer, for his rage had been imprisoned far too long. He continually saw a fictional scene in front of him, playing with his mind as if he'd go mad. Lucy was in Juvia's place in that dream. The sight drove him over the edge.

Gajeel had the same thoughts and Levy had noticed the distance he closed between them by constantly standing right beside her, from time to time stroking the back of her hand.

Alzack had his wife Bisca and his little girl right beside him. He, also, had this terrible feeling. He held Bisca's hand tightly and held his daughter in the other. No one would ever touch his precious girls, not if he was around.

Elfman had confessed earlier to Evergreen that he loved her and that he would really like to marry her. Evergreen had cried and sobbed in his arms and accepted his proposal. Elfman wanted to protect her, for he was too afraid to lose her before he got the chance to reveal his feelings to her. They kissed as if their lives depended on it. When the kiss broke, Elfman ws afraid to let go of her, so, even now, he held her close.

Lucy stood right beside her dragon, but she didn't claim his attention. Natsu seemed in distress, yes, but he was far too distracted by pain and anger. He wouldn't be able to be affectionate anyway. That, she thought, until he took her hand and gestured them to wait.

"Natsu? What are you doing? We have to-"

He pressed her against the wall behind and locked his lips on hers. Lucy tasted the salty tears that landed on her upper lip as he kissed her fiercely. Something wasn't right.

"Natsu?" she whispered.

"Lucy, you are the most precious thing in my life, I don't know how to say this, but I... I..."

She noticed the way he was having trouble with finding the right words. His forehead touched hers and he finally spoke.

"I'm scared to lose you."

"Natsu..."

"I love you, Luce. I always have. I wanted for you to know before..."

"Natsu," she placed her hand on his cheek "you won't lose me."

She kissed his nose and hugged him.

"And I love you too, you idiot."

They quickly rejoined the group, this time holding hands. When they arrived in front of the inn and stood but a few meters away, Natsu went to stand in front of everybody.

"Listen up, mina."

The group had his attention drawn by his voice. If there's one thing they knew about Natsu, is that he could always fire up the spirits of his friends.

"We all want to fight for someone, we all want to protect that person we love most."

As he said this, the couples of the guild all held hands.

"We want to cherish the love we feel for that person and be with each other, living together in peace. Well let me tell you something, my friends."

He pointed his index finger up in the air and his thumb pointed to the side.

"In fairy tail, we all love each other, we all love one another and if we all feel the same way, there's nothing that can stop us! Raven Tail took one of our loved one's away and we won't forgive them! EVER! Everybody here had a loved one, and there bastards took away Gray's! But we will win this for Juvia! For Gray! FOR FAIRY TAIL!"

Lucy cried while she pointed her finger up, as did the rest of the guild. She listened to her lover with awe. He seemed so majestic and matured. The fire in his eyes was aimed at her and she knew that beneath the tone of his voice, he was speaking directly to her. He wanted to be clear and show her that he loved her deeply. He always had. He was angry, in pain, afraid. She was it all. Gray was suffering, all the men were suffering. What if the Raven guild would come after their girls? They killed Juvia, their nakama! Those bastards HAD to pay!

When the sun peeked through the clouds, it didn't warm the sky, no, it shone brightly, only on the members of Fairy Tail. The sun encouraged them and gave them hope. The sun wanted to let the light shine down on them and give them a chance to see that light in the very deepest realm of darkness.

Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder and when she looked back, she saw Celes.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu asked, while hugging Lucy.

"I'm here to fight with you. I'll fight to the death if it means to let you see you can trust me. I'm Lucy's celestial spirit. I won't let her, or anybody down."

"I guess that's all right then."

"And oh, I almost forgot. Natsu,"

Natsu turned and looked at him.

"Igneel says Hi."

Natsu stiffened and an ear-crashing roar was heard. The guild members saw a monstrous figure descending from the clouds with two other similar forms following it. As the dragon slayers looked up to see what this ruckus was all about, they recognized the forms immediately.

"Lucy, you might want to step back a little."

She did as he asked and in front of her, the human form began to change. Celes transformed into his gold skinned dragon form and the gold light that reflected on his scales shone brightly. It was as if day was there and the clouds had vanished.

Igneel, Metalicana and Grandine landed beside Celes and roared in unison. The four dragons waved their wings proudly.

"Dad." Natsu said.

"Natsu, it has been a long time. Unfortunately, we don't have time for chatting. The guild that you are up against is a far greater enemy than you can imagine. They have strong allies with Saber Tooth and they have connections with powerful monsters that are dangerous for this world. They come from another dimension and if Raven sees a threat they can't handle, they will surely call for the monsters. So hop on, fly with me and together, we will fight."

Natsu had fresh tears rolling down his cheeks and laughed.

"Yes! Let's fight! You met Lucy? She's my girl."

"I see, and I also see she has a dragon protector of her own."

"Nice to meet you, sir Igneel."

"Just call me Igneel. My girl, you'll fight together with us. Go sit on the neck of Celes, your dragon protector, and we'll be off!"

"HAI!" the dragon slayers said in unison.

"Gray..." Natsu held his hand out to him.

"Come with me buddy, it's first class, you and me."

"Damn right, Natsu."

He accepted the arm he was given and took place behind his best friend. As the four dragons took off, the rest of the guild prepared for battle.

"On this day, we will taste victory! for JUVIA!" Gray shouted.

"FOR JUVIA!"

The girl placed her hands on the mirror and wiped her tears away. She kissed the image of her hero, riding the red dragon behind that flamehead. She caressed his face and smiled.

"I'll wait for you, Gray..."


	19. Chapter 19

19. Fairy vs. Raven

The dragons flew through the clouds and swayed their wings around calmly. It was as if there was nothing going on. The wind glided past the scales and swooshed Lucy's hair about. The world was beautiful from up here. It was... enchanting.

She looked left and saw the red dragon and her friends. Gray sat behind Natsu and it seemed as if his frown couldn't get any deeper.

"Natsu." he said.

"What is it?"

"Will you fight by my side, just you and me. We're going to go straight to Nullpudding and his filthy buddies. The rest can keep the guild occupied."

"You mean as in, busting through the doors and run like an idiot, just to fight the six of them?"

"Exactly."

Natsu smirked and lifted his fist over his shoulder. Gray knocked his against it.

"I'm right with'ya."

The dragons began to descend. Raven Tail's guild was in sight and Lucy's heart began to beat faster. The adrenaline pumped through her veins as she laid eyes on the pitiful bunch of bastard who took one of her nakama away. Within a second, her rage had doubled and Celes felt it. Lucy took her whip from her belt and slapped it once. Natsu noticed his girlfriend's mood and smiled. He lit his fists on fire and just when they were about to stop, he roared up into the sky, in unison with his father. Their flames bundled together and the roars shook the floor.

The other dragons all roared with their commander and the magic collided in the air. Shots of lightning and thunder drums resounded from the skies. The rain poured and soaked the fort within seconds.

Gray ripped off his jacket and jumped off the dragon.

"Gray."

A familiar voice struck him and he turned around. He saw a mass of people nearing the dragon slayers.

"Leon." he said.

Leon's eyes were bloodshot and he shivered lightly

"Gray, I'll fight. I'll fight with you. For Juvia, goddamned!"

He sniffed and wiped the streams of tears away with his sleeve. Gray hugged him, much to Leon's surprise

"Leon, we'll fight together, like in the old days. Now let's show them what they've got themselves into."

"We're not the only ones who wanted those bastards dead. Take a look."

Leon pointed behind him and there, Gray saw a few thousand people joining Lamia Scale. He recognized Blue Pegasus, Quattro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel and many others carrying their flag in absolute silence.

Hibiki stepped forward and bowed.

"We are with you, Fairy Tail."

Gray nodded and turned around. He stood but a few feet away from the gigantic door that led to the cunt Nullpudding and his shit headed Raven Tail buddies. They were going to get it, and they were going to get it hard.

He cracked his knuckles and let some magic power loose.

"Secret Ice Make move"

His whole body lit up and cold steam emanated from his skin. His eyes were lit up with white light and his hair was blown backwards, where icicle spears formed themselves in the crook of his locks.

"**Blizzard Release Form!**"

Leon was shocked, and proud. So this is what the brat had up his sleeve all along. No doubt he had trained immensely hard to achieve such a power. Gray motioned him to follow. So he did.

Leon joined the group of main fighters. Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, Levy, Natsu and Gray himself would fight the boss and his best subordinates. They were ready to leave, when they heard cheers and shouts in the street.

They turned around to see what the guilds were so happy about.

Oh, they saw it.

Gildarts and Laxus joined the party.


	20. Chapter 20

20. Something's gotta BURN

Laxus and Gildarts walked over to the guild's members. They didn't need to utter a word because the men knew what was happening here. As soon as they heard about the murder, they couldn't just sit around and do nothing, now could they? It was some serious payback time. And Raven was gonna get it. No doubt about that.

When Gildarts nodded to the group they all nodded back in determination. Gildarts had to suppress a chuckle. The brats sure grew quick.

"Gildarts!" the perky pink-haired, fire-munching lunatic shouted.

"Yo, Natsu! I see you got yourselves a ride."

"I sure did! Dad's gonna help us wipe the floor with those bastards!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Dad."

Gildarts' attention was drawn to a brunette on his left. The girl waved awkwardly and he skipped to stand in front of her. Oh man, did he skip like a girl-

"So how's my daughter doing?" he asked.

"Not bad. I'm preparing myself for some serious ass-kicking."

"That's what I like to hear. Now..." he paused, "let's take them down."

If it wouldn't have been for the movement of the water in her cup, Flare wouldn't have known something was wrong. What was that noise outside? She stood to take a look, ignoring the boring story her teammate tried to entertain her with. The moment she laid eyes on the mob, she shrieked. Her guild members cocked an eyebrow en sighed. What was it now?

"Flare, what are you doing?" Nullpudding asked.

"The- there... Th-they..."

The fire mage shook in fear in front of the glass. The guild noticed the vibration of the cups on the tables.

"Is it an earthquake?" a member asked.

"We should evacuate."

And at that moment, Flare snapped.

"IT'S FAIRY TAIL! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

But it was already too late, the doors swung open with a loud crack and fire filled the guild hall. The first man to enter was...

"Well well," Nullpudding chuckled, "came to avenge your girlfriend?"

Within seconds, he was sent flying with icicle spears in his abdomen and a man with lust for his blood went all out, with the intent of putting him through more pain than anyone could imagine having.

He was gonna let him experience Juvia's pain. Tenfold.


	21. Chapter 21

21. The End Of Your Pain

While Gray kept beating the Nullpudding guy to a bloody pulp, the dragons unleashed their wrath upon the guildhall. Celes destroyed all the lacrima and at the same time, the guilds clashed. Natsu fought random, as always. He didn't care who he fought, he just wanted to feel revenge, that sweet revenge. His father backed him up while burning most of his attackers. The fire dragon proudly roared once more and so did the other two. Metalicana and Grandine found it very amusing how those puny little wizards thought they could stand up against a dragon. Their hits barely even tickled.

"You are gonna pay for what you did to Juvia! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Nullpudding coughed up streams of blood and he was too weak to dodge any of the attacks. It was only a matter of time. Gray released an Ice slicer upon his enemy and Nullpudding fell. His body was motionless and his chest didn't move, like it was supposed to when breathing. Although Gray found his foe to be dead, he still had that feeling of hatred. It wasn't enough. He had to fight more, kill more to revenge her.

Natsu noticed Gray going all out on other enemies. He didn't bother fighting alongside him, he decided to let him unleash some of his wrath. Then he would join the stripper.

Lucy and Aries succeeded in knocking out several enemies at once. The blonde cried tears of hatred while fighting and lashing skin with her whip. She never thought she'd be able to feel like this but she just couldn't help her. The moment she laid eyes on the guild that made fun of them during the competition and killed Juvia, her blood boiled. She wasn't aware of the pinkhead's eyes that always kept an eye on her.

Levy managed to beat some more guys as she used her script magic. When she and Lucy fought back to back there was nothing that could stop the girls from going all out. Another pair of unconscious men in front of them and a smirk on both of their faces.

"You see those two girls there? I want them."

"Understood."

Natsu broke a few tables, burnt the bar and threw a pair of glasses to a man's face. As always, a vein popped on his forehead, he had that when he was seriously pissed off. He felt like he was being watched, but he shrugged it off. He didn't have time to worry about such things, the battle in front of him was more important and his blonde girl was too. As he planned to fire off a dragon roar, he saw movement next to him. It was only a matter of seconds to make him feel dizzy. His body wouldn't move and his vision became blurry.

Unknown to him, Gajeel was having the same problem. His strength was sapped and he fell on his knees.

"What the..."

A loud shriek made the two dragon slayers look up. Their girls were being held by two men. They had masks on and they looked more like shadows. They were sent flying in a flash, only to be grabbed by the neck. The man whom held Lucy took a knife and plunged it in the palm of her hand. Natsu heard her scream, struggled to move but to no avail. Next was Levy and the man that held her copied the movement of the other. Levy tried to use her script magic but the guy had her pinned against the wall. The men did the same thing to their other hands.

"LET GO OF LUCY RIGHT NOW!" he shouted.

The dragon slayers felt a foreign feeling boiling in their chest. Their bodies were surrounded by magic and the swirl of energy morphed into wings and a tail. Their nails turned into deadly sharp claws and the canines that normally fitted in their mouths were so large they had to keep their lips apart, so they wouldn't puncture their own lips.

Gajeel and Natsu flew up and clawed at the men continuously. They didn't stop even when the blood tainted their cheeks. Scales began to replace their skin and their pupils were even more similar to that of a snake.

They destroyed the whole guild hall with their dragon roar and as they saw that victory was theirs, they spread their wings and roared up to the sky, their dragon parents right there with them.

Lucy didn't feel scared, nor did Levy. Only tears of joy were plastered on their faces.

Gildarts and Laxus didn't join the small victory dance, however, they stayed on their guard.

Makarov walked up to the two and smiled.

"What are you so shy about? Join them."

"I have a feeling this isn't over, master." Gildarts said.

"Same here, gramps."

Makarov nodded and waved them away. The two knew what it meant and the mission had started.

Gray lay on the floor, crying and punching the tiles with bleeding knuckles. He had his revenge and the guild was destroyed, but nothing helped to get rid of the feeling. He was still full of hatred and sorrow.

Natsu walked up to his best friend with his girl in his arms. Thanks to Wendy her cuts were completely healed. He held Gray's hands in an attempt to stop him. Erza joined him.

"I... I sh-should feel better... but I don't think I-"

"I know." Natsu answered.

He released Lucy and put an arm around Gray's shoulders. His friend's tears just didn't stop flowing and he realized he hated seeing him like this. He always said he hated the bastard to the core but underneath that childish act, he was a friend like no other. They had been together ever since they were kids and to see him like this made his chest feel heavy. He held his friend's shoulders tighter and Erza stroked his hair.

"Fairy Tail."

The familiar voice caused all faces to turn. Mavis, the first Fairy Tail master, was there.

"Master Mavis, you're here." Makarov said.

"There is something I want to show you. Gray." she said.

He tilted his head up and accepted the hand she held out to him. She smiled warmly.

"I need you to stop your tears, for there is no reason for you to feel sad anymore."

"W-what do you mean?" he said, his voice still shaking.

Mavis put a hand up in the air and smiled once again. She formed a magic circle and golden rays of light appeared.

"You can show yourself now, follow the light!" she shouted.

Gray didn't understand her. What did she want him to do? Wait... was she even talking to him? She kept shouting the same sentence over and over again. Gray watched as she concentrated but he still couldn't manage to stop crying.

"I feel you! Just a little closer!" Mavis said suddenly.

Another minute passed until Mavis' smile grew wider. The rays stopped and she looked up to the sky with that toothy, white smile. Gray frowned and looked up as well, and his breathing stopped.

A girl with aquatic blue hair floated above him, she was coated in a white kimono with magic flowing all around her. She was crying tears of happiness and laughing like a lunatic. She descended and hugged the still startled Gray.

When he felt her silk locks, he still couldn't believe it. The girl he cried for endlessly was right here, in his arms. He couldn't stop himself anymore and kissed her and kissed her again. His tears were no longer filled with sorrow, but with relief, happiness, laughter. All the feelings he thought he had lost with her death.

"Gray... I thought I'd never see you again." she whispered between kisses.

"Ssh. You're here. I won't let you go. You'll stay right here, with me." he answered.

The guild cheered and laughed all together, their nakama was back! They took turns to hug Juvia and almost choke her to death, but as soon as Gray saw the guys and especially, _Leon_ holding her, something snapped. He pulled on Leon's shoulder and held her once more.

"I say we throw a party for Juvia!" Natsu shouted.

"And one for all the couples!" Mira shouted.

"We're back on track aren't we?"

"The guild will never change."

Makarov and Mavis looked upon the brats as they returned to their happy selves. The guild had yet to face more dangerous obstacles, but no matter how bad the situation was, they'd always throw a foolish party afterwards, because that's just what Fairy Tail's all about.

Gajeel captured Levy's lips, as did Natsu with Lucy. Carla hugged Happy, Lisanna, Mira and Elfman hugged as well and Gray held his girl close while kissing her soft lips. All sound was gone, and only their heartbeats were heard, as they pumped in sync with each other.


End file.
